Tuesday, August 23, 2011

It's because Arlington's field mower drives right over them. I was taking off my skates in the Rec Center parking lot this morning when mower came past me and crossed the trail, driving directly over the bollards on both sides of the path. Even with the mower blades up, it breaks the bollards about a foot off the ground.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Thursday morning I stumbled on the ramp from Hurd Field, couldn't make the turn, fell onto the trail, and picked up some Bermuda rash on shin and forearm. What surprised me was that some of my friends and co-workers had never heard the phrase "Bermuda rash" for the cuts and scrapes that come from hitting the pavement. I heard it from my parents in the '60s. Has it passed from use?

Friday, May 27, 2011

A man and a child came toward me on the trail this morning, the child on a bike and the man on something strange. A stand-up bike? A bike with running boards? Actually, an ElliptiGO outdoor elliptical bicycle. I'm sure it's exercise, no idea if it's any fun.

ElliptiGO on YouTube

I saw two dead chipmunks on the trail this morning. That's unusual because chipmunks taken by predators don't land on the trail and road-kill chipmunks are quickly scattered aside by the traffic. It's clear why they were there, though, as two other very lively chipmunks did their best to run under my skates.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Moist, mashed, maple litter makes for some slippery spots, especially from Bedford Street to I-95. The adjoining forest in that stretch is a double threat, both providing the litter of flowers and seeds and keeping the sun from drying the shaded trail. I found the slipperiness most hazardous on the inbound (eastbound) side. That's not because there's more of it on one side or the other, but because inbound is uphill in that section and pushing harder means more exposure to slips.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

A runner coming towards me today had one hand on her jogging stroller, the other one holding a tissue to her nose. The next runner I passed going my way gave a little two-part throat-clearing cough with every breath. And these are the people who feel well enough to go out.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Many homes adjoin the trail. Some have private access with their own gates, paths, or stairs. Only one home faces the trail and has a private crossing: 1359R Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington, now for sale.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Please join the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee in a spring cleanup of the Minuteman Bikeway in Arlington. The cleanup will take place on Saturday April 30 from 9:30am to 1:00pm. If it rains on Saturday, we will try Sunday at the same time.

We will first meet at the three locations listed below then fan out along the path; pick the location where you and your friends might like to work:

Arlington Heights, by the path by the Park Ave. Bridge.
Arlington Center, by the path at Water Street.
East Arlington, by the path at the Rt. 2 overpass near Thorndike Field.

Bring gloves if you have them. Trash bags will be provided.
For further information, contact Stephan Miller via email (steffmiller@mac.com) or by phone (781-641-2845).

Friday, March 18, 2011

Skating from Lexington Center to Mill Street in Arlington was a pleasure today, with the temperature in the 60s and the wind at my back. I stood and coasted like never before. Returning uphill and upwind? That was work.

The pavement was dryer today than yesterday, with snowbanks perishing rapidly in the heat. Most notable was the absence of yesterday's puddle crossing the Seasons Four driveway in Lexington.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The anemic remains of this winter's epic snowbanks still dribble their waning moisture onto the trail. Small sticks are the most common litter on the trail today. I kicked up a few as I skated and heard them bounce behind me, sounding like pencils on the pavement.

Friday, February 11, 2011

I crossed the trail behind Trader Joe's in Arlington Heights a couple of days ago. The stairs from Trader Joe's are meticulously clean from edge to edge, unlike the landing below with its narrow lane between ice banks. The trail itself is fully covered in hard-packed snow and ice. This might be the worst location in Arlington not to plow because the shade of the high wall preserves ice on the trail there after everything else has melted. Continuing across the trail, the Hurd Field parking lot is a wilderness of snow, ice, water, and seemingly random obstacles. My guess is that parked cars hindered plowing and led to the lot's sorry state.

Friday, January 7, 2011

The trail was very nice today, just a little nippy around the fingers and ears. Fingers were warm after two miles, ears took longer. Conditions were generally clear from Lexington Center (milepost VI) out to Bedford Depot Park (milepost X), where the plowing ends with a frozen snowbank at the parking lot ramp.